Obama issues rare rebuke of president's 'bizarre' treason claim; US strikes 'massive deal' with Japan

British police prepare ahead of Trump visit

Here are some of the latest pictures from Scotland.

Between 25 and 29 July, Donald Trump is expected to visit both of his golf courses in the country - Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire and Trump International Scotland in Aberdeenshire.

During his stay, the president will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney for informal talks.

A source previously told Sky News that up to 5,000 officers could be required to police the visit, with officers being asked to work 12-hour shifts.

Ahead of that, some officers are already patrolling at Trump Turnberry ahead of the visit.

'Release the damn files': Republican senator calls on Trump to publish Epstein files

A Republican senator has added his voice to the growing chorus calling for the release of the Epstein files.

"Release the damn files," senator Thom Tillis said during an Axios event, our US partner NBC News reports.

Tillis said: "The promise to release the files during the campaign was either overplayed and we got a nothing burger if the files get released, or it's something really disturbing, and that's actually even a more compelling reason to release it."

Epstein files proving a problem for Trump

The Epstein files have become a problem for Donald Trump, proving to be a rare fracture between the US leader and his usually ultra-loyal base.

During Trump's campaign, the US president and his team were one of the main proponents of the idea that there was a client list of Jeffrey Epstein of people who had allegedly obtained sexual services from minors.

Epstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at a Manhattan federal jail in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

The issue seems to be going nowhere, but yesterday the House of Representatives went into recess early to avoid voting to disclose information abut Epstein.

Trump administration launches another investigation into Harvard

The US State Department is investigating Harvard over the university's involvement in its exchange visitor programme.

This is the latest salvo from Trump's government against the university in a long-running battle.

"The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation's interests," secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a statement.

He added: "To maintain their privilege to sponsor exchange visitors, sponsors must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States."

Trump's attacks against the country's oldest and richest school are taking place across a number of fronts.

Other investigations are looking at threats to Jewish students and staff after pro-Palestine protests broke out in October 2023, and if Harvard discriminates based on sex and gender.

It comes as Donald Trump's administration and Harvard have gone head-to-head in a federal court over government threats to cut billions from the school's funding.

The president says he's trying to force change at Harvard - and other top-level universities across the US - because they have been captured by leftist "woke" thought and become bastions of antisemitism.

Harvard and other universities say Trump's attacks are threats to freedom of speech, freedom of academics and the schools' very existence.

Why Japan wants US rice

We brought you news earlier today on the US-Japan trade deal.

As part of that, see our 14.04 post, Japan agreed to boost rice purchases by 75% according to a White House official.

Japan also agreed to buy US planes and increase defence spending with US companies as well.

But why does Japan want US rice?

Rice is considered almost a sacred commodity in Japan, deeply engrained in its culture, language and tradition.

Typically, the market has been largely shielded from imports through high levies.

But rice prices in Japan have doubled since last year. 

Now, with home-grown rice prices so high, shipments from abroad are increasing.

The staple food has become a luxury item for many consumers, piling pressure onto politicians to resolve the crisis.

This crisis was partly due to supply shortages that began in 2024, triggering a national crisis that caught politicians and consumers off guard.

The year prior, an extreme heatwave led to a sub-standard crop yield.

Then a strong earthquake hitting southern Japan on 8 August 2024 led to consumers panicking, and stocking up on rice, emptying store shelves, further worsening the problem.

In the same month, there was a 400,000 metric ton shortage of rice.

In February, the government released rice from its emergency stockpiles, in an effort to temper prices.

It's within this context that Japan has started up buying more rice from the US.

Trump to announce AI plan - as big tech demands more energy-guzzling data centres

Donald Trump is unveiling an "AI Action Plan" today shaped by Silicon Valley tech leaders who supported his election campaign.

On returning to office in January, he gave his tech advisers six months to come up with new AI policies after revoking Joe Biden's AI guardrails on his first day.

The plan is expected to include some familiar tech lobby pitches, including accelerating the sale of AI technology abroad, cracking crackdown on state laws deemed too restrictive, and making it easier to construct energy-hungry data centres.

The tech industry has pushed for softer permitting rules, but the AI building boom has spiked demand for fossil fuel production that will contribute to global warming.

A typical AI data center eats up as much electricity as 100,000 homes, said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Trump's proposals might also include some of MAGA AI culture war preoccupations - what White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks has called "woke AI".

Japan to buy US planes and boost rice and defence spending

We're getting more details now on the trade framework agreed by the US and Japan.

Japan has agreed to buy 100 Boeing planes and boost rice purchases by 75%, a White House official said.

The agreement also includes Japan buying $8bn of agricultural and other products.

And it will increase defence spending with US companies from $14bn to $17bn.

Earlier, the US said it was lowering its threatened 25% tariffs to 15%.

Notably, the lower rate appears to also apply to Japanese cars, whereas Donald Trump has imposed a sweeping 25% against automobiles produced elsewhere.

EU prepares €100bn retaliatory tariff plan if US talks fail

The EU plans to hit the US with 30% tariffs on US products worth €100bn if trade negotiations fail.

European officials are in Washington today, hoping to make a deal to avoid 30% tariffs threatened by Donald Trump come 1 August.

But in the event of no-deal, the EU would combine an approved list of tariffs on €21bn-worth of goods with a previously proposed list on another €72bn, a European Commission spokesman told Bloomberg.

The taxes would come into effect in August and would include aircraft, cars and bourbon whiskey, the news outlet reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

"We are now approaching the decisive phase in the tariff dispute with the USA. We need a fair, reliable agreement with low tariffs," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters yesterday.

The European Commission said it remained focused on achieving a negotiated outcome.

Trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic is due to speak with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick this afternoon. 

China condemns Trump's UNESCO withdrawal as irresponsible

China's foreign ministry has said Donald Trump's decision to leave the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation was "not the behaviour expected of a responsible major country".

China expressed staunch support for UNESCO's work, which the White House called "woke".

The agency helps protect world heritage sites, supports crisis response to natural disasters and promotes international scientific cooperation.

Based in Paris, France, it was founded after the Second World War to help foster peace.

It received around 8% of its funding from the US, who previously quit the organisation during Trump's last term, before rejoining two years ago under the Joe Biden administration.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said UNESCO "supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for".

The State Department accused UNESCO of supporting "a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy".

It also criticised the decision to admit the State of Palestine as a member state.

French President Emmanuel Macron professed "unwavering support" for the "universal protector" of world heritage and said the US move would not weaken France's commitment.

Trump visit to 'seriously' disrupt Scottish policing

Policing across Scotland will be "seriously affected" by a visit by Donald Trump on Friday, the head of a police body says.

Trump is expected to stay for four days at his golf clubs in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire.

The president, whose mother was born on the Isle of Lewis, will meet with Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney.

The police operation required for the visit and any protests will be huge, according to David Kennedy, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation.

"We've been asking long and weary to have more police officers in our communities in Scotland and all this does is take them away from that," he told BBC Radio Scotland.

Asked if the quality of policing will be impacted by the visit, Kennedy added: "It will be seriously affected, it has to be. There's not enough police officers for it not to be affected."

Wait times could double, he said, and Scotland is looking to officers in the rest of the UK for support.

Swinney said policing in Scotland will not be put in a "detrimental position" as a result of the visit.

Japan deal 'significantly raises hopes' EU can fend off steep tariffs

Donald Trump's trade deal with Japan has "significantly raised hopes" that the US and EU can come to an agreement.

The US reduced its proposed tariffs from 25% to 15% on announcing a trade framework with Japan.

European Union officials will be in Washington today for talks as a deadline of 1 August looms before Trump says he'll hit the bloc with 30% tariffs.

"The Japan deal has significantly raised hopes that the EU might also be able to reach a trade deal," Deutsche Bank Research strategists and economists said in a Wednesday note.

Trump administration to burn $10m of aid rather than sell to UN

The US government is spending $160,000 to burn nearly $10m of contraceptives rather than sell them to the UN to ship to poor nations, according to sources.

Implants, pills and IUDs will be incinerated at a facility in France,  four sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The supplies have been stuck in a warehouse in Belgium since  Donald Trump's decision to freeze US foreign aid in January and shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

They will not expire until April 2027 and September 2031, according to an internal document verified by three sources.

The United Nations' sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, offered to buy the contraceptives outright, three sources told Reuters.

Talks broke down due to a lack of response from the US, a source said.

Non-profit MSI Reproductive Choices volunteered to pay for the supplies to be repackaged without USAID branding and shipped to countries in need, but said the Trump administration declined.

"We were told that the US government would only sell the supplies at the full market value," said Sarah Shaw, associate director of advocacy.

The Belgian foreign ministry said it had held talks with US authorities and "explored all possible options to prevent the destruction, including temporary relocation". 

It added: "Despite these efforts, and with full respect for our partners, no viable alternative could be secured."

-SKY NEWS